Ammonia smell in coop-first time owner

[Forge Cottage]

Peggy always looks in grand condition and has beautiful soft feathers, a pleasure to pick up.

 

We noticed that she has been losing feathers underneath. Yesterday I found half a dozen in a small area on the ground. When I picked her up today I felt an area of feather stubble under her tummy, which I have noticed before recently, but this time a bare patch too. I had a look and was alarmed to see an egg sized area of angry red bare skin within the area of short quill ends. Not broken and bleeding skin, but very sore looking. I expect if it got dry, it would crack and bleed. It does not look like a bite mark, more like a condition, as if something is irritating her skin. Maybe she has also been pecking her own feathers out, though we have not noticed her doing so when preening.

 

So I am worried about her, poor girl...

 

Health and remedies

The three stooges seem generally quite healthy and almost inseparable, dust bathing together and tearing around when they sense something worth pecking. Peggy drinks OK but is slower to eat and sometimes pecks the other two if they are eating under her too quickly. She never has as large a crop as the others. I have also caught her pecking the Warrens to turf them out of the nestbox, so she can chill out in there herself. She spends as much time as them in the nestbox during the day (and we suspect overnight) although she is not producing!!

 

Our two Warrens were mildly affected by moult, which started in the Autumn. Their feather's became papery dry, so we started adding Poultry Spice to their pellets. The condition improved quickly. They seem well on the way to normality, with new feathers starting in affected places. They are still laying almost daily, but on 5 November Peggy stopped laying and nothing since. Her feathers have continued to look fine and she only lost a few compared to the layers.

 

Cleaning and bedding

The Eglu nestbox is poo-picked every morning and topped up when low, the tray poo picked about every five days. I change the bedding every couple of weeks, maybe three, when I deep clean and disinfect. Two weeks ago we had some odd poos, so we decided to worm them with Flubinvet for a week, now done. We kept the Poultry Spice going too. At the same time, I gave them a good dusting with louse powder and we started a new bale of bedding. We use woodshavings, but this new batch is different, like finely planed flakes. They do stick in their bottom feathers and end up outside more, but seem soft enough.

 

I keep thinking mites, but they are always happy to go to bed and I am sure the place is clean. I have red mite powder that smells the same as the louse powder. I tend to alternate these, dusting them perhaps once every six-eight weeks and always put some in new nestbox bedding.

 

Any ideas please on cause and treatment? Is the soreness connected with the laying holiday, or are we right to be patient with her?

 

Thanks!

[Plum]

My first thought was she could be moulting and just red because the skin is exposed

[Forge Cottage]

Thanks Plum. I hope so...!

 

Meanwhile we have been allowing them to sleep in the nestbox, especially as we were getting early eggs. Should I block them from sleeping there now - will it help her recover on the bars?

[Plum]

Mine slept in the nest box for the first winter without any detriment to them. Guess with the cold at night at the moment they keep snug.

[Redwing]

There is a theory that they need airflow under them or they can lose feathers on their tummies, not convinced how true that is but I have had a few that snuggle rather than perch who are a bit threadbare underneath (not bald though)

 

I would imagine the redness is because the skin is exposed as the skin reacts to the light, unless it is sore I wouldnt worry too much about the redness

 

Apart from that you have covered everything I was going to ask

[Forge Cottage]

Thanks Redwing. I will keep an eye on the situation!

 

I was just trying to work out how many chooks you have from your signature... Crikey, is that 54 more on the way? I thought I had problems!!

[Redwing]

no dont panic its 54 in total

 

if you say it quick it doesnt sound like many

[charliechick]

Hi everyone, glad I logged on. Ive got a problem too. One of my girls has had a very pink bald bottom for months now. At first I thought it was maybe the bedding irritating her whilst having a moult maybe, but after having a morning off work I was able to watch them, and ITS FEATHER PECKING! I was so annoyed with myself for not picking up on this sooner! I saw two others doing it to her and one of them that is also had an angry looking bald patch. Its the soft little feathers that they are after. Jalfrezi used to have huge feathery bloomers, not anymore.

 

Ive recently bought some netting so they can have more room than just the garden, ( have a field at the back of the garden ) so its probably due to boredom. I don't leave them to free range when im at work normally but might let them run in the garden to give each other some space. I give them everything they might need. Good layers pelletts, oyster shell/grit, water all day, corn treats, and pellett porridge in a morning. I bought a feeding ball this morning and put greens in, so they can peck and jump up at that.

 

It must be the pecking thats caused this as the areas are so angry looking, no skin is broken yet, thank goodness. Do u think I should try gently dabbing vasaline on now? They might not like gunk on their beaks.

I have been spraying them with anti peck spray and I think this has helped a bit.

What do u think guys???

 

Any advice would be really helpful.

[Christian]

Try tea tree oil mixed with water/vaseline. It will sooth the area and it antiseptic too. Plus it tastes vile! Vaseline on it's own might work too.

 

Try bumper bits if it continues.

[Porkypie]

Hello,

 

One of my chooks has a bald bottom too My little Goldline has lost her fluffy feathers. A few are starting growing back. I haven't noticed this happening gradually but I don't see much of them Mon-Fri. I've checked for lice (dusted her in case) and can't see any red mite at night.

 

Is it worth trying to cover her barenesss somehow to protect from cold etc?

 

Is the most likely reason feather plucking/eating?

 

Should I just get some Net-Tex Anti-Pecking Spray or ukadex and use assuming it's theother hens doing it to her?

 

Thank you.

[charliechick]

Hello,

 

It seems wev'e got the same problem. I was also wondering if I could find something to cover her behind. Its very red and bald with occasional shafts. I noticed another hen plucking and eating little feathers. I don't know whats got into them really. Boredom must be it, so Ive done what I can do, short of an assault course in the run! I can't let them out during the day whilst at work really but at weekends they get the whole day in the field at the back now.

Have been putting vasaline on her and tea tree oil sprayed on her but had to but a tiny cosmetic spray from superdrug, as she hated the big spray bottle of net tex looming towards her. I think I'll put the anti feather peck spray in the smaller bottle. If things don't improve in the next few days with the redness then Im bringing her in the utility room to recover. Then she'll just have to endure abit more pecking when she rejoins them as they won't have seen her for a while.

Its a shame she used to have huge knickers.

[Forge Cottage]

Imagine a Hen with a 'Syrup of Figs' or feather extensions (or would that be a Merkin?) Ooer. No, I think it could get very complicated trying to cover poultry bald patches.

 

Not sure that the reason is boredom...

I understand that feather eating or self plucking at this time of year, can often be attributed to chickens trying to replace the calcium and minerals they normally enjoy from eating grass. Peggy normally loves eating grass but it is obviously a bit thin at the moment and was under snow for a while. Because calcium is involved in nerve and brain function, a shortage of calcium can lead to many nervous disorders including plucking...

 

Anyway, I am hoping that my Peggy's bare tum is just down to a late season moult and excessive prone nesting! At least she still has her knickers.